Traditional bearing removers have three arms, each of which grasps a bearing at 60° intervals around the base of the bearing. A pulling force is then applied to the arms to dislodge the bearing. Such bearing pullers are completely inoperable where there is insufficient space for the arms to grasp the bearing, such as where there is a wall or other surface that block the arms from having sufficient “purchase” against the bearing. The known bearing pullers are also inoperable where the bearing is positioned so far along an axle that the arms cannot practically be made long enough.
Expandable bearing removers are not limited by the space between a bearing and an adjacent surface. Such bearing removers typically have an expandable first section that is inserted within a center of the bearing and then expanded to the internal dimensions of the bearing. Once expanded, a second section is connected to the first section, and a pulling force is transmitted from the second section to the first section. However, such expandable bearing removers are still inoperable to remove bearings positioned far along an axle.
Thus, there is still a need for bearing removers configured to remove bearings from axles in locations having (a) limited space between the bearings and adjacent surfaces, and (b) where the bearing is positioned far along an axle.